ANAHEIM, CA - JANUARY 05: Todd Bertuzzi #44 of the Detroit Red Wings gets ready on the ice during the game against the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center on January 5, 2010 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Recently, Todd Bertuzzi said that he believes the entire 2012-13 season will be lost. To put it mildly, that would really suck. In fact, some would argue that it would be the end of the world. Two full seasons lost in less than 10 years? Unforgivable!
I'm still holding out hope that something can be done to save the season, but it's not much hope. Less than a glimmer. More like... a glim. A glim of hope. Something like that. But what do we do if the players and the owners can't agree and we do lose the entire season? Hockey fans are like zombies. We get a little agitated in the summer when there's no hockey to watch, but we're basically harmless as long as people keep their distance. Then fall and winter months come and we still don't have hockey? Ugly. Well, I've put together a list of things you should consider trying in order to survive the coming no-hockey-ocalypse. I also invite you to leave tips of your own in the comment section.
1. Check out some other sports. I was watching the Lions play on Thanksgiving and saw the Texans' running back get tackled, then get up and score a TD. Then Detroit got screwed over by a combination of their coach and a stupid rule. I was like, "Sigh... Reminds me of the Red Wings." It was a lot like playoff hockey if you think about it. Detroit played better than the other team, but lost in OT because of points that never should have counted. Just like the Red Wings!
7. YouTube. Are you subscribed to awood40's channel? If not, here it is. This channel is constantly updated with some of our favorite memories. A day doesn't go by that I don't check out that channel and say, "I remember that game! Wow, what a play that was..." Know of another channel we need to subscribe to? Let us know in the comments.
9. Follow other hockey leagues. I keep tabs on the Everett Silvertips of the WHL because I used to live up that way and the Michigan Wolverines, but more than anything else, I follow the Griffins. Hearing familiar names said over the radio helps a lot. I also have great hope for the future of the franchise because of the play of guys like Mrazek, Jurco and Ferraro.
10. Play NHL13, I guess. Remember when I was going to simulate the games and write about it? Yeah, sorry. Playing that game was so depressing. Turning it on and seeing that an actual game was supposed to be on TV was not fun. So I stopped. But maybe that's good enough for you? I do use NHL-Whatever-@#$%ing-Year-it-is to get me through some rough spells from time to time. Like, when Weber got away with smashing Hank's face into the boards, I edited his durabilty and speed, turned off the penalties and took runs at him over and over again. So much fun.
12. Find another hobby that has nothing to do with hockey. For a while there, I was doing well because I follow politics. Now that the election is over, I need something else to do. I spend quite a bit of time in the woods when the Texas heat isn't kicking my ass and coral snakes aren't dry-humping my ankles. What are your hobbies and do they keep you distracted enough to not think about hockey all the time?
19C. Come hell or high water, follow every little bit of NHL news that you find. To do this, get a Twitter account and follow anyone and everyone connected to the NHL, the Red Wings, the NHLPA, the KHL, the AHL and any other league where a Red Wing is playing. Check other blogs for updates and obscure stories. This way you'll always know where we stand as far as ever seeing NHL hockey again. And knowing is half the battle...
That's all I have for now. Yes, it's a little late for a survival guide since most of you have probably already ate your young by now, but I needed to make sure I remembered my username and password. Yup, still good.
Follow me on Twitter: @Twig81

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